Amiens Cathedral (Passages)

Amiens Cathedral, nave elevation and vaults

Hans Sedlmayr used to like to talk about the "floating" or "hovering" vault in Gothic. Here you can see how the linear elements of the vault--transverse arches and diagonal ribs--appear tethered to the ground with vertical shafts or colonnettes. The most important colonnette, applied to the front surface of the pier, appears to support the transverse arch, creating the division between the bays.